MSRiverdog

Nice fish. 8-) Hands down, number one.

I gave up on trailers and keep a rod rigged with a Senko next to me. They hit the Buzzer and miss and follow it with a Senko fast, very, very high probability they'll come back on it. We always throw a Senko or Tube back at em' ASAP.

Only one I've ever kept, certified scale, 4#11oz's, 1982 I think.

Last year a buddy of mine and I staged a pic, called it a 19"er and everybody, good Smallie guys, bought it, it was a 16"er, we told em later. You can't tell anything by an arm out pic other than it's a nice looking fish. I'll go 3.5#s max.

bronzeback88 it doesn't seem to matter a lot here on the Upper Miss area's I fish, stained or really fast water, my second choice for a leader is 10# XT but then I am mostly a spinner/buzzer guy at this time of the year. Senco's and Tube's are my throw back lures after missed hits, the rocks here are really abrasive and tear up any braid but the Ultracast fast. A couple Bud's of mine only use 10 or 8# XT with their tubes and Sencos but fish a little different section and don't mind break off's and retieing a bunch. Most of the time I tie straight to the braid. If I fished Mille Laks a lot I'ld step down a bit, that water is so clear.

I have a couple rods rigged with 15# P-line leaders and just use barrel/uni knots to 30# PP and 20/30# SW Ultracast. I'm hoping to get up to Mille Lacs this summer, you got some great Smallies in there. :o